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Synonyms

unusual

American  
[uhn-yoo-zhoo-uhl, -yoozh-wuhl] / ʌnˈyu ʒu əl, -ˈyuʒ wəl /

adjective

  1. not usual, common, or ordinary; uncommon in amount or degree; exceptional.

    an unusual sound; an unusual hobby; an unusual response.
    Synonyms:
    odd, queer, curious, singular, strange, rare, remarkable, extraordinary
unusual British  
/ ʌnˈjuːʒʊəl /

adjective

  1. out of the ordinary; uncommon; extraordinary

    an unusual design
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • unusually adverb
  • unusualness noun

Etymology

Origin of unusual

First recorded in 1575–85; un- 1 + usual

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Despite that, Foster told the inquiry Calocane did not display anything "unusual".

From BBC

She added that Ford showed symptoms of both types of rabies - encephalitis and flaccid - which was unusual.

From BBC

He added that it would require something that was unusual, something that was "strikingly similar".

From BBC

The layers are stacked with a slight twist between them, a detail that gives rise to unusual electronic behavior.

From Science Daily

The observation offers an unusual glimpse into how galaxies were reshaped long ago and raises new questions about what conditions were really like 8.5 billion years in the past.

From Science Daily

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.